


Worldbuilding for "The Arbiter, the Medic, and Inter-Species Relationships"

by PolyPairings



Series: The Arbiter, The Medic, and Inter-Species Relationships [1]
Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Also kind of a Halo 5 fix-it, Background info for the verse my Arbiter and Medic series is in, Background information, But it also has things that I would change in Halo 4 and 5 in general, Comments and debate welcome, Except it's fanon instead of canon, Fellow authors are free to use these ideas, I've connected the dots, The Dawn Treatment, This is supplemental reading for my x reader fanfiction, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:21:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25301527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PolyPairings/pseuds/PolyPairings
Summary: In trying to motivate myself to write again, I thought about some things. I decided canon wasn't my favorite and since I have the power, I shall change it! With headcanons/fanfiction of fanfiction? Not sure what to call it other than worldbuilding. Also, makers of Halo, please don't sue me. I'm a poor ass college student with no money.
Relationships: Thel 'Vadam | The Arbiter/Reader
Series: The Arbiter, The Medic, and Inter-Species Relationships [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1615108
Comments: 42
Kudos: 37





	1. Courting

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter is about Sangheili courting and how it works. It's a mix of canon, and me adapting and changing different ideas to roll with it. Views courting on Sanghelios in both cultural and political lights.

**During the Great War (AKA The Human-Covenant War):**

Courting between members of Sanghelios society during the Great War took place mainly on Sanghelios itself. The Covenant was too strict to allow anything of the sort on its battleships. Additionally, the female Sangheili all stayed on-planet during and before the War, taking care of estates and children, excepting a few individuals. With the way the Covenant was structured, rulers of the Sangheili people as a whole were older, more conservative males. As such, courting was mostly formal, and was often done as a result of arrangements between the Keeps for marriages to strengthen alliances. There was protocol to be followed, but depending on the Keeps involved, there could be some leeway for the potential spouses. When the conservatives were in charge, marriages were carried out after as little as one or two heavily supervised meetings between potential spouses. Some didn't even get that much, and were just told by their Keeps to marry, and so they did. If both Keeps were more progressive or lenient, they may have had meetings together, not unlike human "dates". The amount (and number) of time(s) they spent together depended on their Keeps and what was allowed, as well as whether there would be a chaperone. Since Sangheili society has been greatly patriarchal, the male took the initiative if he wished to personally contact the female. The female's Keep could request a meeting be arranged, of course, but they could not meet if the male denied it. Often, if the female denied it, the Keep could override it and force her to meet her suitor anyway. The goal of these marriages was alliances, and to create children. Children in Sangheili society almost always did not know who their father was, and were raised in a communal setting, so no bias would be shown towards a child for their father's actions.

**Post-War Courting:**

With many of the conservative leaders either supporting the Covenant in the attempted genocide of most of the Sangheili, or dying in the fight against them and the Covenant, new leadership was chosen among almost every Keep. And with the Arbiter spearheading a cultural revolution, restrictions became more lax. Marriages are created for alliances still, but if a couple falls in love, they may petition their respective Keeps to allow the marriage. If it is beneficial, or even just neutral for the Keep, they often accept the proposal. Now, the ones more directly involved in the courting decide on meetings, rather than the heads of the Keeps. The male may take initiative by himself, and, as the Arbiter is pushing for equal opportunities and rights, so may the female. However, since the movement is still relatively new, the females only tend to do so, at least publicly, about a third of the time. The suitors may also send gifts and letters to each other, and/or have small gatherings of their suitor and their friends to become more knowledgeable in their potential partner. As a major compliment, the female suitor may send a regiment of guards from her own Keep to her suitor's to train with him, as a way of openly admiring his skills and implying her trust in his ability to keep her safe.

**Swordsmen:**

In Sangheili culture, good swordsmen are revered for their skills and awarded higher positions. Additionally, they are not allowed to marry, as it is believed to be most beneficial for the species to spread their genetics around in the hopes of producing more swordsmen. As such, swordsmen were allowed to breed with whichever fertile female they wanted, married or not. During the Great War, swordsmen would have, at least publicly, extremely short relations, just long enough to get someone pregnant. Keeps and husbands alike would encourage a swordsman and his chosen mate in any way they found helpful. If a swordsman were known to have certain tastes, the husband himself may join in having sex, but refrain from successfully mating with the female so as to guarantee the child would be the swordsman's. This would be kept out of the public, and maybe even the Keep's knowledge. Sometimes the husband and swordsman would meet separately from the wife, but this was kept completely discreet from everyone. With conservatives leading, if it wasn't illegal, it was highly frowned upon and seen as 'wasting' the swordsman's seed. Post-war, same as with courting, everything is more relaxed. Husband, wife, and swordsman throuples didn't have to hide, and husband and swordsman couples were no longer in danger of persecution, at least from Keeps and laws. There are assholes in every species, so you know there'd be some that still have problems with it. Additionally, although swordsmen could still not marry, they could unofficially let him join as a member of a house. He may be included in house management and activities, and may even be awarded a room of his own on the couple's estate, if they have one outside their Keep's main buildings.

So, the possible romantic combinations could be: swordsman x unmarried woman, swordsman x married woman, swordsman x married woman + separately married woman x husband, swordsman x married woman x husband,  
or swordsman x husband + platonic mating with married woman. On a tangent, females from the different houses did see each other romantically, but in extreme secrecy. Since society is changing, they do not have to hide as much, but their seeing each other are not yet recognized as active relationships. With time and perhaps influence from human society, all different kinds of relationships could be accepted in society.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a side note, Sangheili society (not including the Covenant) would be like 65% okay and 35% not okay with the Arbiter courting a human. They'd be okay because the Arbiter is the champion of the Great Schism, and pretty much the leader of the Sangheili, and they want him to be happy. The rest would not be okay because they a) don't like humans or b) they want Arbiter to have children now that he's such an important and skilled person. They'd be salty until into the first year of the reader living on Sanghelios as an ambassador and Arbiter's mate/spouse (which will happen), when the UNSC is like "Hey! Artificial insemination is a thing!". Then they mostly keep their complaints to themselves or quietly amongst themselves.


	2. Changed Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Arbiter and the Medic series takes place in an alternate universe than canon. This will have the new timeline in it, and will eventually go up to the events of Halo 5. I will add more to it the further on in my fics I get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: These addenda are also posted in the end notes for convenience of scrolling.
> 
> * (I) "Skopje was a UEG inner colony and the home to several million people. The planet had highly developed urban areas, roads, and railways sprawled across island continents. It was also home to the headquarters of a shipbuilding corporation." (Source: [Alpha Halo: Skopje](https://halo.fandom.com/wiki/Skopje) )
> 
> * (II) I could not find the official date for either the Battle of Miridem or the glassing of Miridem, only the year. Month and day were picked at random. Battle length and glassing duration were both inferred from available data of both known Battle lengths and educated guesses as to how long glassing would take. (Source: [Halo Alpha: Miridem](https://halo.fandom.com/wiki/Miridem) )
> 
> * (III) UNICOM is the classification for UNSC ground forces. Its counterpart, NAVCOM, is for Naval Command. (Source: [Halopedia: UNSC Rank Structure](https://www.halopedia.org/UNSC_rank_structure) )
> 
> * (IV) Cadet is the lowest Officer ranking for UNICOM. Cadets are given no command authority. (Source: [Halopedia: UNSC Rank Structure](https://www.halopedia.org/UNSC_rank_structure#UNICOM_ranks) )
> 
> * (V) I could not find the the official date for either the Battle of Skopje or the glassing of Skopje, only the year. Month and day were picked at random. Battle length and glassing duration were both inferred from available data of both known Battle lengths and educated guesses as to how long glassing would take. (Source: [Alpha Halo: Skopje](https://halo.fandom.com/wiki/Skopje) )
> 
> * (VI) Reader is offered a position on the _Infinity_ as a Senior Medical Officer. They accept.

**May 6, 2544**

The Reader graduates from Miridem University of Medicine and Medical Technology. They move home to Skopje* (I) to celebrate with their family, and they all plan to return to Miridem for the graduation ceremony.

**May 7, 2544 - May 19, 2544** * (II)

Miridem is invaded by the Covenant, which leads to the Battle of Miridem. The UNSC successfully evacuates 32% of the planet before it is abandoned by Humanity.

**June 2, 2544** * (II)

The glassing of Miridem is completed.

**January 6, 2545**

The Reader enlists in the UNSC UNICOM* (III), Army branch, and is given a starting rank of Cadet* (IV) due to their education.

**February 5, 2547 - February 24, 2547** * (V)

Skopje is invaded by the Covenant, and the Battle of Skopje begins. The UNSC successfully evacuates 67% of the planet before it is abandoned by Humanity.

**March 20, 2547** * (V)

The glassing of Skopje is completed.

**July 25, 2552 - August 30, 2552**

The Covenant secretly invades Reach and sets up pylons to hide their gathering forces. Winter Contingency is declared upon the discovery of Covenant on the planet, and the Battle of Reach begins. Noble Team is one of many active Spartan teams on Reach. The remnants of Noble Team are selected by Dr. Catherine Halsey and Cortana to take Cortana to the waiting UNSC _Pillar of Autumn_. Noble Six hand-delivers it to Captain Keyes, and stays behind to to operate a MAC gun and give the _Pillar of Autumn_ an opportunity to escape. The Lone Wolf goes down fighting. Reach Falls, and is glassed.

**August 30, 2552 - ?, 2552**

The events of Halo Combat Evolved take place.

**October 20, 2552 - November 17, 2552**

The events of Halo 2 take place.

**November 17, 2552- March 3, 2553**

The events of Halo 3 take place. Same ending as canon, with the Arbiter arriving on Earth and Chief and Cortana adrift in space, one in cryonic sleep and the other waiting.

**July 13, 2553**

A breakthrough in the understanding of Forerunner technology is made, resulting in the remodeling of and the application of Forerunner engines to the already-existing UNSC _Infinity_. The _Infinity_ was conceptualized and made near the official end of the Human-Covenant war, as a way to rescue humanity from extinction. The _Infinity_ had already been staffed and occupied by some of the best workers humanity had left to offer. Its main job was to search for and begin terraformation of planets that could be hidden from the Covenant indefinitely should the overall status of humanity and its battle meet requirements set by the highest of ONI and UNSC officers. To paraphrase Catherine-B320: Humanity knew it was losing, but it hadn't yet lost. The _Infinity_ was the answer to the strong possibility of humanity losing the war. Due to its size and purpose, it was successfully hidden from the Covenant by any means necessary. As the requirements for the beginning of the mission were not yet met, the _Infinity_ spent the last years of the war sending probes throughout the galaxy to scan planets, and to relieve military ships of refugees from glassed planets. The latter occurred only if they had no acceptable location to drop the civilians, did not have the supplies to sustain them, and was only carried out if the military ship(s) in question were 100% certain they were not followed. Upon the conclusion of the war, the civilians were released onto still-standing colonies and Earth, and the _Infinity_ was docked and remodeled with the engines and converted from a lifeship into a battleship. After the completion, it was staffed solely with UNSC members and sent to locate and retrieve, study, or destroy Forerunner artifacts.* (VI)

**January, 2554**

The _Infinity_ escorts and acts as a mediator and negotiator for peace talks between the Arbiter and the Jiralhanae Elder Chieftan Lydus. Despite sabotage attempts from Vata Gajat's mercenary groups and a treacherous Spartan-IV, neither leader was killed. Admiral Lord Hood and Captain Thomas Lasky were able to convince the groups to continue negotiations on a nearby planet chosen at random to ensure safety. A cease-fire was reached between all Sangheili affiliated with the Swords and all Jiralhanae Clans affiliated with Elder Chieftain Lydus. Unaffiliated Sangheili and Jiralhanae still battle, but the most powerful factions of each group no longer skirmish. 

**March 21 - 25, 2554**

The events of Halo 4 begin, 3 years earlier than canon. John-117 awakens, is pulled into Requiem, and the _Infinity_ follows, same as canon. Cortana is glitchy and behaving as a Rampant AI would, also as in canon. However, this is because the Gravemind's torture left her destabilized, in addition to a slow-burning Logic Plague. The Logic Plague was created by the first gravemind, known as the Primordial, in the Forerunner-Flood war (about 100,000 BCE) as a way to infect the Forerunner's version of AI, known as ancillae (ancilla is the singular form). As Humans did not have access to understandable Forerunner records of this, the only people with knowledge of this disease would be high-ranking scientists and military officials. John and Cortana theorize that the Gravemind messed with Cortana's code when he tortured her, which could cause her Rampancy to be greatly accelerated.

Everything is the same as in canon: the Ur-Didact (Shadow-of-Sundered-Star) is awakened, _Infinity_ is pulled into Requiem and attacked by Prometheans and Covenant remnants, Chief rejects Captain Del Rio's orders, his evolution is accelerated by the Librarian (First-Light-Weaves-Living-Song), New Phoenix is composed, the Ur-Didact is pushed into slipspace, and Cortana saves Chief from a nuclear warhead used to destroy the Composer, seemingly dying.

**March 30 - May 31, 2554**

John-117 is kept under surveillance and study, due to the changes the Librarian made. Catherine Halsey is allowed to work with him, as she is the leading expert in Spartan-II biology. Fred-104 is also present and studied, serving as a baseline to compare John's abnormalities to. They are both released after only a month due to ONI politics, so the scientists took a plethora of samples; MRIs x-rays, etc. Halsey suspects about the Logic Plague, but doesn't tell anyone her suspicions.

**June 12, 2554**

John-117 and Fred-104 are released from ONI custody and Blue Team is reformed. They immediately start going on missions.

**June 27, 2554**

The Ur-Didact is hunted down and imprisoned for eternity in the Composer's Abyss by Blue Team as he is in the Halo: Escalation comics.

**November 30, 2554**

John-117 has a breakdown, completely discreet from any UNSC official but obvious to his found family. He finally confronts his loss, and stops taking mission after mission and overworking himself as a way to distract himself (as he is said to be doing in Halo 5). He and his family take lighter and a less amount of missions for a while as John begins to heal. He learns to cope, and Blue Team becomes stronger than ever.

**December, 2554**

Ex-Covenant members form new alliances and relations with each other, with the Sangheili taking the frontline with relations with Humans. The Unggoy officially join the Sangheili as a client race: they are protected and given technological and other aid in return for an active workforce. The Arbiter is on Sanghelios for a while, spearheading a cultural revolution and destroying any Covenant loyalist he can find. The Blooding Years begin, the time when the Arbiter attempted to unite all the Keeps of Sanghelios.

Additionally, ONI discovers the Dawn Treatment and figures out how to utilize it. Version 1 is made. It is given to high-rankers within ONI and kept a secret.

**June, 2555**

  
A whistleblower releases the existence of the Dawn Treatment to the UNSC. ONI pretends they had just discovered it, and were just finishing testing stages. It is ‘officially’ released among ONI and the UNSC, given to consenting high-rankers, such as Fleet Admiral Lord Hood.

**January, 2556**

  
Version 2 of the Dawn Treatment is created with data from ONI’s experiments. The process of making it is streamlined and surprisingly cheap. It is offered discretely to the best of the UNSC and ONI's most trusted soldiers.

**February, 2556**

The Arbiter is only fractionally successful in uniting the Keeps; while the Keeps did divide themselves between who supported the Great Journey and those who don't, they do not truly unite. They ally with each other, but they do not unite in the way the United Earth Government had. Many fled the planet to the surrounding moons to escape the worst of the civil war. Those allied with the Arbiter and the Swords form a new government called the Scabbard of Urs. The Arbiter and his allies chase known Covenant loyalists off of Sanghelios. When the Arbiter understands that there is nothing more he can do at that time, he leaves Sanghelios with his closest in charge, Rtas 'Vadum among them, to pursue Jul 'Mdama and his Covenant.

**July 15, 2556**

The events of Blood, Bandages, and That Prick Peters occur.

**July 17, 2556**

The events of Dragonflies, Dates, and Garbage occur. ONI, the UNSC, and the Swords of Sanghelios are all aware of this in some form. ONI is keeping an eye on the situation, the UNSC is subtly boosting its support and encouragement of Sangheili-Human couples, and the knowledge of the Reader and the Arbiter's courtship is kept on the down-low.

**July 23, 2556**

The events of Movies, Munchies, and Lightsabers occur.

**July 29, 2556**

The events of Stars, Sanghelios, and Horseshoe Crabs occur.

**August 28, 2556**

The events of Chapter 1 of Fear, Fights and Changes occur.

**September 2, 2556**

The events of Chapter 2 of Fear, Fights and Changes occur.

**September 17, 2556**

The Dawn Treatment is officially given a name, and finally passes experimentation and examination by the UEG. It is released to the public and met with skepticism at first, but acceptance gradually picks up once results are seen.

**September 19, 2556**

The events of Chapter 3 of Fear, Fights and Changes occur.

**September 20, 2556**

The events of Chapter 1 of Experience, Education, and Intimidation occur.

**October 1, 2556 ; October 6, 2556**

The events of Chapter 2 of Experience, Education, and Intimidation occur.

**October 13, 2556**

The events of Chapter 4 of Experience, Education, and Intimidation occur. 

**October 14, 2556**

The events of all chapters of Aftermath, Affection, and Importance occur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * (I) "Skopje was a UEG inner colony and the home to several million people. The planet had highly developed urban areas, roads, and railways sprawled across island continents. It was also home to the headquarters of a shipbuilding corporation." (Source: [Alpha Halo: Skopje](https://halo.fandom.com/wiki/Skopje) )
> 
> * (II) I could not find the official date for either the Battle of Miridem or the glassing of Miridem, only the year. Month and day were picked at random. Battle length and glassing duration were both inferred from available data of both known Battle lengths and educated guesses as to how long glassing would take. (Source: [Halo Alpha: Miridem](https://halo.fandom.com/wiki/Miridem) )
> 
> * (III) UNICOM is the classification for UNSC ground forces. Its counterpart, NAVCOM, is for Naval Command. (Source: [Halopedia: UNSC Rank Structure](https://www.halopedia.org/UNSC_rank_structure) )
> 
> * (IV) Cadet is the lowest Officer ranking for UNICOM. Cadets are given no command authority. (Source: [Halopedia: UNSC Rank Structure](https://www.halopedia.org/UNSC_rank_structure#UNICOM_ranks) )
> 
> * (V) I could not find the the official date for either the Battle of Skopje or the glassing of Skopje, only the year. Month and day were picked at random. Battle length and glassing duration were both inferred from available data of both known Battle lengths and educated guesses as to how long glassing would take. (Source: [Alpha Halo: Skopje](https://halo.fandom.com/wiki/Skopje) )
> 
> * (VI) Reader is offered a position on the _Infinity_ as a Senior Medical Officer. They accept.


	3. The Dawn Treatment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the 2500s, while life expectancy took a major drop during the Great War, medical technology had advanced enough for Humans to generally regularly live into their 100s-110s.
> 
> That changed with the Dawn Treatment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Dawn treatment is named publicly after the Forward Unto Dawn, the ship that offered the Master Chief shelter from the harshness of space. As the Dawn Treatment is passed off as a result of research from the Spartan projects, it makes sense to name it after _the_ Spartan. The general public is unknowing of either Forerunners or the Flood, and are exclusively given Version 2.
> 
> Unofficially, and to those in the know, it is named after the Librarian, who gave the Master Chief the changes that the Dawn Treatment resulted from. Her true name was found, First-Light-Weaves-Living-Song. First light = dawn.

**What is the Dawn Treatment?**

Using samples taken from John-117 and studying the mutations the Librarian activated in him to ‘accelerate’ his evolution to survive the Composer, ONI isolated something they believed would increase the longevity of a Human’s life. It had already done so to the Master Chief, something he was unaware of. With more research and some experimentation, ONI scientists were able to isolate what exactly it was that lengthened Master Chief’s life. After some more theorizing and searching, the truth of the matter was discovered: a Forerunner serum, once entered into the bloodstream, could lengthen both the life of a person and the amount of time that person would spend in prime condition. The serum was found in large quantities in multiple Forerunner facilities, as it was what the Forerunners themselves used to lengthen their lives. Their armor would gradually add this into their bloodstream as children, thus causing slower cellular degeneration and aging.

ONI created two versions of it:

**Version 1** :

This was the most successful version. The original Forerunner serum would be added into the bloodstream in small amounts to allow time for the body to adjust and change. This version of the serum allows a Human with a healthy lifestyle to live into their 160s - 170s.

 **Version 2** :

This version is the Human-made replica version of the Forerunner serum. This serum is made completely by Human hands, and is able to be mass-produced. This serum would also be slowly added into the bloodstream in small amounts to allow time for the body to adjust and change. This version of the serum allows a Human with a healthy lifestyle to live into their 130s - 140s.

  
The difference in life extension, when it is eventually noticed, is passed off as genetic variables and overall health.

**What Does the Dawn Treatment Entail?**

Each person requires observation and physical and occupational therapy during and after the Treatment. As such, clinics are created for the military members who receive it, and then for civilians.

A machine draws the blood out of a person’s body, integrates the serum, and the blood is pumped back into their body. This would be done very slowly, as a person’s body would actively change due to the serum, and chance of survival is best when a little is changed at a time. The standard is for a quarter of a pint of blood to be removed and the serum introduced at a time. Time for the body to change is given, and the recipient’s progress is observed. They receive physical and occupational therapy during the changes to help them adjust while it happens, rather than all at once. The recipient also receives a specialized diet and intravenous fluids that give their body the nutrients it needs to most effectively change.

The average person has ten pints of blood in their body, so if necessary, the process could be completed in a minimum of forty days. It is usually done over the course of three to four months, longer if the recipient is older or having a more difficult time.

**What Does the Dawn Treatment Do?**

The body essentially de-ages; skin shrinks and becomes more elastic, hair would grow back in and change to its original color, cartilage and nerves would lengthen and strengthen, bones would become denser, muscles would become stronger and younger, organ function would be boosted, fertility would be boosted, etc. As one might imagine, this could be painful. However, as it is done over a longer period of time rather than all at once, the pain would feel more like dull throbbing aches, rather than sharp. Sharp pains are possible, however.

The Treatment is easier and less painful on the young, as their bodies are more adaptive and resilient, and there is less damage from age to be fixed. 

Additionally, after the Treatment, aging is experienced differently. Rather than growing frail and physically aging, it would be more on a cellular level. Hair would still be lost and grey, skin would still wrinkle, strength would still be lost, but not like it would have before the treatment. Rather than the body’s systems failing, it is the cells that fail. The age of the cells would make them not regenerate or reproduce as quickly, and the body would slowly weaken. Organ failure is a possibility, but not common. Rather, the person feels exhaustion and weakness as they near the end of their days, since their body cannot keep up with itself. End days are usually spent sleeping or sleepy, with little to no pain. People usually fall asleep and never wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All in all, the Treatment is a boon. It is a major discovery in medicine, and for mankind. The Dawn Treatment is considered the dawn of a new day for Humanity.


	4. Experience, Education, and Intimidation Chapter 4 Fireteams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what the title of this chapter says. Will have Human, Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Mgalekgolo, and Sangheili postings. Also will show the losses and replacements to the Humans post-chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I squeezed in some references to Doom Eternal, Marvel, Assassin's Creed, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Also, thank you to [Mercenary Scum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercenary_Scum/pseuds/Mercenary_Scum) for helping me out with some of the surnames!

**Fireteam Alpha**

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Gaxa 'Vrotan, Sangheili

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Cuya 'Tukam, Sangheili

Lieutenant Ina Abelli, Human, Non-Combatant

Lieutenant Junior Grade Stanley Breckinridge, Human, Non-Combatant

Petty Officer First Class Israhel Ivanoŭ , Human, Non-Combatant

Petty Officer Second Class Rebecca Crane, Human, Non-Combatant

Petty Officer Second Class Trefor De Angelis, Human, Non-Combatant

**Fireteam Alpha Additions**

Sword of Sanghelios Special Operations Officer Xero 'Nufumai, Sangheili

Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Teg 'Gogum, Sangheili

Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Shon 'Warom, Sangheili

Sword of Sanghelios Bekosi Nixi Bole, Mgalekgolo* (I)

Sword of Sanghelios Odome Nixi Tida, Mgalekgolo

**Fireteam Beta**

Staff Sergeant Otmar Evered, Human

Cadet Iesus Snijder, Human

Private First Class Horatia Nevra, Human

**Fireteam Gamma**

Chief Warrant Officer (Y/N) (L/N), Human

Lance Corporal Gouyen Rider, Human

Cadet Lunete Järvinen, Human

Cadet Sudhir Mullins, Human

**Fireteam Gamma Additions**

Sword of Sanghelios Major Lakad, Unggoy

Sword of Sanghelios Heavy Mikmap, Unggoy

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Flis, Unggoy

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Liflif, Unggoy

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Smaw, Unggoy

**Fireteam Gamma-1**

Chief Warrant Officer (Y/N) (L/N), Human

**Fireteam Gamma-1 Additions**

Sword of Sanghelios Major Zheth, Kig-Yar, Ibie'shan* (II)

Sword of Sanghelios Major Bix, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian* (II)

Sword of Sanghelios Major Yem, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian

**Fireteam Delta-1 -** Entered Bridge

Second Lieutenant Estela Cervantes, Human

 ~~Corporal Terriamo Langley, Human~~ \- Deceased

 _Replacement_ \- Corporal Dileep Ismail, Human

Private First Class Mila Nordskov, Human

**Fireteam Delta-1 Addtions** \- Entered Bridge

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Xesze 'Vasum, Sangheili

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Bata 'Zusama, Sangheili

 ~~Sword of Sanghelios Heavy Yadak, Unggoy~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Sword of Sanghelios Heavy Smum, Unggoy_

~~Sword of Sanghelios Minor Kludsad, Unggoy~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Sword of Sanghelios Minor Kayaz, Unggoy_

**Fireteam Delta-2** \- Entered Bridge

Corporal Natalia Romanova, Human

 ~~Lance Corporal Matthias Ramirez, Human~~ \- Deceased

 _Replacement_ \- Lance Corporal Ekene Jaswinder, Human

Private First Class Levi Richards, Human

**Fireteam Delta-3** \- Waylaid

 ~~Lance Corporal Sanna Haines, Human~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Lance Corporal Kory Manire, Human_

~~Private First Class Cahaya Ó Seachnasaigh, Human~~ \- Deceased

 _Replacement_ \- Private First Class Andy Grabarczyk, Human

 ~~Private First Class Breeshey Pozzi, Human~~ \- Deceased

 _Replacement_ \- Private First Class Maata Quyền, Human

**Fireteam Delta-3 Additions** \- Waylaid

Sword of Sanghelios Major Neth, Kig-Yar, Ibie'shan

 ~~Sword of Sanghelios Minor Zer, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian~~ \- Deceased

 _Replacement_ \- Sword of Sanghelios Minor Kev, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Cith, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian

**Fireteam Delta-4** \- Entered Bridge

Warrant Officer Entuk Lovell, Human

Private First Class Nabad Hernandez, Human

 ~~Private First Class Asha Megalos, Human~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Private First Class Tinia Trentini, Human_

**Fireteam Delta-5** \- Waylaid

Warrant Officer Sham'a Suijin, Human

 ~~Cadet Eli Fontana, Human~~ \- Deceased

 _Replacement_ \- Cadet Yeong-Gi Su, Human

 ~~Private First Class Mario Araya, Human~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Private First Class Jonah O'Brallaghan, Human_

**Fireteam Delta-5 Additions** \- Waylaid

Sword of Sanghelios Major Rtala 'Nrangam, Sangheili

 ~~Sword of Sanghelios Major Khuso 'Drada, Sangheili~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Sword of Sanghelios Major N'Thupa 'Tufum_

Sword of Sanghelios Major Kap Cen, Kig-Yar, T'vaoan* (III)

 ~~Sword of Sanghelios Minor Med Gum, Kig-Yar, T'vaoan~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Sword of Sanhelios Minor Tum Ger, T'vaoan_

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Geg Tar, Kig-Yar, T'vaoan

**Fireteam Delta-6** \- Entered Bridge

Warrant Officer Loukianos Hutchinson, Human

 ~~Private First Class Dorit Campana, Human~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Private First Class Tanesha Haushalter, Human_

Private First Class Endzela Arvidsson, Human

**Fireteam Delta-6 Additions** \- Entered Bridge

 ~~Sword of Sanghelios Major Yath, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Sword of Sanghelios Major Dax, Kig-Yar, Ibie'shan_

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Muysmas, Unggoy

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Zlam, Unggoy

**Fireteam Eta-2** \- Entered Bridge

Sword of Sanghelios Special Operations Officer Kheaa 'Zutam, Sangheili

 ~~Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Yso 'Zucam, Sangheili~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Kul 'Chaura, Sangheili_

~~Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Mrisa 'Sukan, Sangheili~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Ako 'Lacalu, Sangheili_

Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Femi 'Mdahamai, Sangheili

Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Wimmul, Unggoy

 ~~Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Zlif, Unggoy~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Jaya, Unggoy_

~~Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Faydaf, Unggoy~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Sword of Sanghelios Special Operative Mir, Unggoy_

**Fireteam Eta-5** \- Entered Bridge

 ~~Sword of Sanghelios Major Gen, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Sword of Sanghelios Major Yol, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian_

~~Sword of Sanghelios Major Mon, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Sword of Sanghelios Major Toor, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian_

Sword of Sanghelios Minor Kor, Kig-Yar, Ibie'shan

 ~~Sword of Sanghelios Minor Thad, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian~~ \- Deceased

_Replacement - Swords of Sanghelios Minor Shul, Kig-Yar, Ruuhtian_

**Other Non-Combatants**

Petty Officer Third Class Shaun Hastings, Human

Petty Officer Third Class Silvia Dirksen, Human

Crewperson* (IV) Jayden Ragno, Human

Crewperson Noura Goodwin, Human

Crewperson Zdravka Nazgul, Human

Crewperson Neha Boucher, Human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * (I) Mgalekgolo have three names: a first name, a bond name, and a line name. Their first name is their birth name, their second name is their bond name, and their third name is a name of the most successful ancestor in their lineage. Bond-pairs share bond names and each take it when they split into two. (Source: [Halo Alpha: Mgalekgolo: Naming](https://halo.fandom.com/wiki/Mgalekgolo#:~:text=Naming,that%20have%20split%20into%20two.) )  
> * (II) Ruuhtian and Ibie'shan are the two 'standard' species of Kig-Yar. The Ibie'shan constitute the majority of Kig-Yar in Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, though I think they probably vary among the different splinter groups. (Source: [Halopedia: Kig-Yar: Genetic Variety](https://www.halopedia.org/Kig-Yar#Genetic_variety) )  
> * (III) T'vaoan is the Skirmirsher sub-species of Kig-Yar  
> * (IV) In the UNSC NAVCOM ranks classification, it's listed as 'Crewman' rather than 'Crewoman' or 'Crewperson'. I have decided to say fuck ya gender-roled chicken strips and am now using 'Crewperson' as the official title. Headcanon: People around the Crewpeople probably address them as their preferred gender or 'Crewby' for short. (Source: [Halopedia: UNSC Rank Structure: NAVCOM](https://www.halopedia.org/UNSC_rank_structure/NAVCOM)  
> 


	5. On the Rapid Cultural Advancement of the Sangheili

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have known since I first wrote out my plans for the series that the advancement of Sangheili culture probably seems unrealistically rapid. In canon the Blooding Years lasted longer, and the Sangheili were still mainly stagnant in the game. But I've just somehow... _known_ that what happens in my series is possible, but didn't think why. Now I have. This is mainly academic and for those who have wondered, but I think this will truly explain why the Sangheili became okay with a lot of things real quick or at least tolerated it outside of plot reasons.
> 
> Also, at some point when I was writing this it went onto a tangent about the Flood and the workings of Neural Physics and the Logic Plague. I got sidetracked, but it is good information for you to know, since it'll be showing up later on in the series, in the Halo 5 rewrite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is posted before the last chapter to Experience, Education, and Intimidation, yes, but this concept basically smacked me upside the head and told me to write it.

So, in canon, the Blooding Years is the term for the expansive Sangheili civil war. There were smaller, localized governments in each individual city-state, but no organization among them outside of trade and marriage agreements. The Covenant had control over their society for literal centuries, and the Sangheili ended up dependent on them for culture, politics, and military. Without the leadership of the San-Shyuum, the Sangheili realized just how dysfunctional their separated city-states were. There was a lot of fighting between a lot of different Keeps, but the main target was the Swords of Sanghelios and Vadam Keep. Vadam Keep was allied with several others: Chaura, Hilot, and Acroli (minus Nes'alun Keep).

The Arbiter Thel 'Vadam was aiming to form a new government to lead Sanghelios as a whole and foster unity among the Keeps. He did not try to force them to change their ways, nor did he attempt to do away with the Keep system as a whole; he wished to add to it and improve quality of life for all Sangheili. But while he was doing that, many Kaidons hoarded ships and weapons and worked on their own grabs for power. Not for the betterment of the Sangheili, though some may have truly believed that their being in charge would be better.

In canon, the Blooding Years are still officially ongoing, yet I refer to it in past tense in my series. I feel the main battle of the Blooding Years was against the Servants of Abiding Truth, Avu Med 'Telcam, and their allied Keeps. Of course, there was a stint where that ONI bitch Margaret Parangosky purposefully attempted to cripple, if not destroy, the Sangheili, all against the wishes of a vast majority of the Unified Earth Government, who wanted a treaty.

I think that the better definition of the Blooding Years would include that uprising against Thel 'Vadam and the (likely many) smaller uprisings that aren't mentioned in canon. Kinda how the Great War AKA the Human-Covenant War is officially ended even though Humanity is still fighting the remnants and different splinter groups of the Covenant. In canon, the fight against Jul 'Mdama is part of the Blooding Years. I looked at it and went yeah, nah. Jul 'Mdama is fighting against Thel 'Vadam and the Swords yeah, and probably planning to take over the rest of Sanghelios, but honestly? He's not just fighting against Thel 'Vadam and the Swords, he and his Covenant are also probably continuing to enslave the Unggoy, they're still gunning for the Humans, and then they decided to serve the Ur-Didact, who is probably the one of the only biological beings to be infected with the Logic Plague. The Ur-Didact was tortured at the hands of the Primordial itself, the very first known Gravemind and the one that perpetrated the Forerunner-Food War. The Logic Plague is meant to corrupt the, well, logic of coded beings in such a way that they find helping the Flood to be the most logical decision, whether they know it or not.

 _The Flood cannot truly die_. Thanks to Neural Physics, the knowledge of the Flood exists as part of reality itself, so if a single Flood supercell exists, it can restart the Flood. Usually, if you kill the main organizing figure of a hive, the hive becomes disorganized, confused, and usually dies. The Graveminds and Proto-Graveminds organize the Flood, which is evident in their 'stupidity' and disorganization without them. So why is it that every single Gravemind that is formed has all the memories of the previous? That it can remember and speak of the sins of the Forerunners, when they destroyed nearly all the Precursors and caused the Flood as if it/they were there? There are likely still Flood out beyond the rim of the galaxy who fled during the first firing of the Halo Array. (Hint-hint: foreshadowing!)

Ah, so that went off on a tangent and I apologize if you are now confused, so let's get back to the Blooding Years and Sangheili culture.

The point I was making before I got distracted was that Jul 'Mdama wasn't/isn't just a threat to the Swords and Sanghelios, he's a threat to the Humans, the Unggoy, and possibly even the entire galaxy, if the Ur-Didact wasn't defeated and they had continued to serve him. So in my opinion the Blooding Years have ended in canon. What does that have to do with Sangheili culture? Quite a bit actually.

Culture and customs are developed the easiest when there are times of peace and/or money. That's part of why the Italian Renaissance happened and why it was so successful. So during the Blooding Years the goal would be to bring peace among the Keeps. In the A&M series that happened; there is now a sort of Parliament in place, with representatives from the different Keeps and Sangheili and Unggoy colonies that have joined. It's a way of doing trade and requesting aid and other dealings and mainly just maintain peaceful relationships between the Keeps.

So the peace following the Blooding Years in A&M canon caused cultural growth, which is boosted the Arbiter and his allies' different programs and propaganda. Not all cultural and societal changes occur in peacetime, though. The reason the culture on Sanghelios changed so rapidly and why that change is at least actively tolerated if not accepted by the Sangheili is _because_ of the Blooding Years. Wars can force cultural and societal changes, and rather quickly too. Think of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the Iranian Revolution, the transition form Germany to Nazi Germany. If it a society deems it necessary, change will happen very quickly. Especially after a hostile government has been overthrown; people usually reject the culture and laws said government had in place. Not all, and there's always the die-hard supporters of the old regime, like how some French Fascists were some of Hitler's last and most loyal supporters, but they eventually change, or are gotten rid of.

Some may argue that Sanghelios is such and honor-bound society that they would stick to tradition. And you're right, some absolutely would. But just look: you're likely aware of how honor-bound the Sangheili are, so how bad do you think the Blooding Wars would have to be to make saurians flee the planet? Most only went as far as the moons, yeah, but just think about it from an honor standpoint. Fleeing would be seen as cowardly, _especially_ fleeing a Keep one is affiliated with. The Sangheili that fled would have been seen - at least by some - as abandoning their loyalties and losing their honor. And since honor is such a big deal to them, even _after_ they're free from the Covenant, the Blooding Years must've been pretty bad. Bad enough to cause the rapid cultural and societal changes that I have proposed in my series and that we have seen in the examples from real history I have given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Source: [Halopedia: Blooding Wars](https://www.halopedia.org/Blooding_Years)


	6. Sangheili Days of the Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I looked and looked, but I couldn't find how many days are in a week on Sanghelios, which is a thing that I feel I should know for my series. So I decided to make it myself.

I found information [here](https://www.halopedia.org/Covenant_Battle_Calendar#) for how long a week would be for Sangheili: "similar in length to a standard human week." This is using the standard Covenant Battle Calendar because apparently the Sangheili continued to use it after the destruction of the Covenant (I am using Sanghelios time on ships instead of this for convenience). Because Sangheili days and years are longer than Human, I figured weeks would be too, and decided on **nine days in a week.**

****

The Covenant Battle Calendar was what all of the Covenant species used and was created by the San'Shyuum. There are eight fully-integrated species in the Covenant: San'Shyuum, Sangheili, Jiralhanae, Lekgolo/Mgalekgolo, Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Yanme'e, and Huragok. I chose nine days a week to represent each of those plus a day for the Covenant fringe species that were not fully integrated.

****

I also came up with names for the days of the week. For the series, I am going to say that the days used to have religious Prophet-based names or something like that, and that as a part of retaking their culture, the Sangheili use their own names for the days of the week post-Covenant. These are as authentic to the Sangheili language as I could make them. I used the [Halopedia](https://www.halopedia.org/Sangheili_\(language\)) and the [Halo Waypoint](https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/forums/db05ce78845f4120b062c50816008e5d/topics/sangheili-dictionary/11ab7a51-ba1c-4a99-b920-f093678d87ab/posts) Sangheili language dictionaries to create the names. Also, I couldn't find the word for 'day', so I substituted the word for 'rise'. I used a shortened version of the verb form for rise (roke-e) rather than the command form for rise (rugee-ee). Loose translation would be "[blank] rises".

****

****

**Rokeurs**

****

Roke = Rise

****

Urs = The sun Sanghelios orbits; the name of an old Sangheili god

****

* * *

****

**Rokeban**

****

Roke = Rise

****

Ban = The shortened version of the name of one of Sanghelios' moons; Suban

****

* * *

****

**Rokeussa**

****

Roke = Rise

****

Ussa = Named after the leader of the early rebellion against the Covenant around the signing of the Writ of Union and 112th Kaidon of Xellus Keep; [Ussa 'Xellus](https://www.halopedia.org/Ussa_%27Xellus)

****

* * *

****

**Rokefied**

****

Roke = Rise

****

Fied = One of the suns of Sanghelios' star system

****

* * *

****

**Rokekost**

****

Roke = Rise

****

Kost = The shortened version of the name of one of Sanghelios' moons; Qikost

****

* * *

****

**Rokefal**

****

Roke = Rise

****

Fal = Named after the 88th Arbiter, who declared the Great Journey to be a lie and a way for the San'shyuum to control the Sangheili; [Fal 'Chavam(ee)](https://www.halopedia.org/Fal_%27Chavamee)

****

* * *

****

**Rokejoori**

****

Roke = Rise

****

Joori = One of the suns of Sanghelios' star system

****

* * *

****

**Rokethel**

****

Roke = Rise

****

Thel = Named after the 91st Arbiter, 2868th Kaidon of Vadam Keep, Hero of the Great Schism, Slayer of the Prophet of Truth, and Resurrector of the Swords of Sanghelios; Thel 'Vadam

****

_Note_ : Thel was not actually consulted on this name. The new government of Sanghelios, the Scabbard of Urs, is the one who created the new names for the days of the week. In the future, Great Uniter will be added as another of Thel's titles.

****

* * *

****

**Rokeyano**

****

Roke = Rise

****

Yano = Shortened version of the word for rest/remains/remnant; musuyano

****


	7. Sangheili Months

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I made the days of the week, and thought I should add them alongside the Human dates to previous works in the series. And then I realized I wanted to put the months along with it and ran into the same issue.

I took a few more creative liberties with this one. The days of the week were written from the Sangheili language and stuck to a theme of a new culture emerging separate from the old Covenant culture. There are a lot more possibilities for the months; names, basis of names, number of days, meanings/events in the months, number of months in a year, etc. Since the Sangheili language dictionary really isn’t that expansive, I decided on something different: Forerunner.

The Sangheili were reseeded along with the rest of the galaxy after the firing of the Halo Array. Afterward, although exactly how long isn’t specified, the Sangheili found Forerunner artifacts on Sanghelios and created a religion from it. So the backstory for the names of the months is that they were created by the Forerunners and were found and adopted by the Sangheili. The San’Shyuum would have left these alone rather than try to replace them since they’re Forerunner in origin and therefore ‘holy’ or whatever.

In reality, I am creating the length of the months and the names. For the names, I will be using a [Star Wars Planet Name Generator](https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/sw-planet-names.php). I considered using the Dwarven City name generator again, but I wanted to have shorter, more melodic names for the months. I read the Forerunner Saga and decided on this style of naming from the vibe I got from it. Forerunners were very...sure of themselves. There was a lot of ceremony and grandiose decorations and displays of wealth on the Ecumene and in the descriptions of the planet Bornstellar’s family owned.

It would have been the Lifeworkers recording information about Sanghelios, and they either use straight scientific naming or thoughtful and almost whimsical naming schemes. The fanciful names for the Covenant that can be found on the Halo Alpha and Halopedia pages are the Forerunner designations that have been translated into Latin. The Kig-Yar are “Hateful Bandit”, Sangheili are “I glorify my kin”, Mgalekgolo are “Serpent Union”, etc. If there was a dictionary of Forerunner words I would have used those to make the month names, but there isn’t, so - Star Wars.

I decided on **eighteen months in a year** with **thirty-two days** in the first eleven months and **thirty-three** in the last seven. Why? There would be more months for more days, there would be more changes to justify more months due to there being three suns in the system, and I divided the number of days in a year on Sanghelios (583.3) by random numbers until I liked the way it looked. Like I said; creative liberties.

All of the names and months are based on some unknown Forerunner classifications and observations, so I won’t be explaining the names like I did for the days of the week. Here they are:

 **Cheac** \- 32 days

**Asar** \- 32 days

**Ulde** \- 32 days

**Trosos** \- 32days

**Vuth** \- 32 days

**Eonu** \- 32 days

**Lilze** \- 32 days

**Odhu** \- 32 days

**Suh** \- 32 days

**Ket** \- 32 days

**Ilso** \- 32 days

**Fith** \- 33 days

**Bisaan** \- 33 days

**Hooind** \- 33 days

**Logu** \- 33 days

**Nur** \- 33 days

**Reas** \- 33 days

**Jant** \- 33 days


	8. Remnants of Humanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Was browsing different threads on various websites and come across some "official" information from 343 that I Did Not Like. I am currently moody and feeling petty, so I'm going to replace it.

According to 343i, there's only about 300 million Humans left alive after the Human Covenant War and Earth is the only place left, all other colonies have been destroyed. 

First of all: **no**. 

Secondly: that's in direct contradiction to what has been "officially" said before. At one point they said that 2/3 of Humanity's 800 colonies were destroyed. They also said that some dozen colonies remained, so between 36-72 colonies. There's also colonies that have never been invaded, colonies that have only been partially glassed, etc. In this series, the number of colonies destroyed was 2/3 of 800, so ~267 colonies remain. 

Third: 300 million is just not realistic. At all. We've got the aforementioned colonies that have never been glassed or only partially glassed, and the pre-war population of Earth is listed as 10 billion. Even if you argue Earth was glassed, only portions of Africa were. Also, we've got the widely popular "official" number of 23 billion killed in the War. Pre-war population was estimated by Dr. Halsey to be 39-40-ish billion. What's 39 billion minus 23 billion? Not fucking 300 million. 300 million is just ridiculous. The pure size of the Human fleet would require several different colonies and a shit-ton of people manufacturing more guns, ammo, ships, etc. which would be mostly impossible if there's only 300 million people left and Earth is the only one left. What about the colonies in the Sol system? 

_In this series there are about 16 billion Humans spread across ~267 partially-intact or untouched colonies_ because that makes _actual **logical sense**_. Gettin real tired of 343i and Bungie screwing up their own lore, and of high-and-mighty people on the internet taking everything they say as truth and shutting down anyone who tries to point out fallacies. I saw that on every single thread I read on this particular topic.

12am moody and procrastination-driven rant over. The first chapter of my next work, Cats, Candy and Poetry will be out soon.


End file.
